Lucy Cousin's Big Book of Nursery Rhymes. Illustrated by Lucy Cousins. London, UK: Macmillan Children's Books (Distributed in Canada by McClelland & Stewart), 1998. 64 pp., cloth, $19.99. ISBN 0-333-72269-8. Subject Headings: Children's poetry. Nursery rhymes-Juvenile literature. Preschool-grade 3/Ages 2-8. Review by Susan Fonseca. *** /4

This book was first published in 1989 as The Little Dog Laughed by Macmillan Children's Books in London. Inspired by the enjoyment that her two baby twins have found in listening to nursery rhymes, Lucy Cousins has chosen forty of her favorites for this collection. Each poem is illustrated with Cousins' amazing and vibrant art which young children love because they resemble pictures they could create themselves. The art work is very bold, using solid colors with definite black outlines. The jacket and hardcover of the book are identical and very eye-catching with Humpty Dumpty waving to the reader. The end pages are decorated with flowers and leaves and appear very spring-like. Lucy Cousins' visual interpretations of the rhymes are delightful. Children will enjoy counting the "four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie" or finding WeeWillie Winkie who appears to be flying up the stairs.

Although the table of contents is very clearly presented, an index would be helpful for a quick search. The title of the poem is not always easily found when one turns to the rhyme. In many cases, what would appear to be the title is actually a line from the poem, a situation which could be confusing for children. The actual text, however, is a good size and very easy to read. There is a spacing error in the poem "Hickory, Dickory Dock" which should have been discovered before printing. The use of "big book" in the title is questionable as there are many much larger collections.

Recommended with Reservations.

Susan Fonseca is a teacher-librarian at Glenwood School in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - April 28, 2000.

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